-Alderman Joe Moore
as quoted by Marcella Tardy
April 5, 2000
Lerner "News Star" News
Here is a "new player in the developer game." Yet.. he knows Alderman Moore's favorite game. A very profitable fundraising game called the... Single Family Home/ Tear-Down Project! This "rookie players home field" is located at 6957 N. Ashland. This once was (just 6 months ago) a two story, Single Family Home.
The game begins when this property was sold on May 20, 2004 for a little more than half million dollars to GEORGE SAMARDZIJA. We don't have a score card so remember this name, because three months later, Mr. Samardzija meets Coach Moore.
Notice what his "new playing field" will look like. The marketing campaign on the properties posted, advertising sign, shows seven people are pictured walking the wonderful new clubhouse property. They are all white.
"This isn't the "Celebration of Diversity" that REALLY makes up this neighborhood...is it Alderman Moore?"
Is this the home field vision our "new rookie neighbor developer" is marketing too, the rich, white folk?
Back to the Alderman's quote. Mr. Samardzija signs up, pays his fee and segregates his playing field.
Bring the scorecard out, on August 19, 2004, Mr. Samardzija or shall we say George and Nada, who live at 1947 W. Grace Street, opens the wallet and gives their first Individual contribution to Joe Moore. It doesn't seem like much, $500.00, but this still leads to a hint of possible influence?
Money is money. A contribution is a contribution. A donation is a donation. But the game's not over just yet, don't toss the scorecard away. Can we find any more "veteran players" waiting in the dug-out? They named the team... Castle.
13 comments:
Had Mr. Samardzija donated more money to the Alderman, he would have gotten a rented room info-mercial, similar to the one Mr. Golovan received?
Save The Planet - Build Concrete Block Condos!
Neighbors, your lawns are an inefficient use of space - pave them for parking! It's the GREEN thing to do.
Your vision for our neigborhood as Manhattan-by-the-Lake is not shared by the majority of residents of our neighborhood, who are concerned about over-development, density, and loss of green space. A better forum for your twisted essay might be RogersPark.com, sponsored by the Rogers Park Builders Group, or DevCorpNorth, sponsored by part-time Alderman and full-time real estate developer Joe Moore.
About the majority of the community wanting more green space...
While I agree with this comment, I don't consider an old, run-down house, with untrimmed bushes and a grey brick wall around it very appealing to the neighborhood.
I think a quality built, new building does more to improve the quality of Rogers Park.
An actual park may be better, but that would just leave another place to deal drugs.
www.rogerspark.com
thanks for the plug Hugh!
The above essay is an example of a common rhetorical device oftem employed by those in favor of higher densities: juxtaposing a paean to higher density with a paean to public transportation. One neighbor at the info-mercial for 1528 W Greenleaf did the same thing: "I don't think we should get all worked up over parking," she said. "We have excellent public transportation in Rogers Park." Her impact was somewhat muted by the fact that Alderman Moore accidentally called on her before anyone jumped on the parking issue.
> ... we need to cut down on the number of cars people own ...
Unfortunately, tear-downs and density increases are very real, but this vision of new residents abandoning their cars is pure fantasy. Unfortunately, the parking requirements in our zoning code are expressed in terms of parking spaces per unit, while the actual number of cars added is more proportional to the number of bedrooms.
Parking is a real concern in our neighborhood, particularly in east Rogers Park, and wishing it were not so does not make it go away.
Quoting Ellen.
"When she does sell, it will be to a developer."
Say the highest bidder is not a developer.Would she still sell to the developer then?
While some are dreaming on what they wish the city of the future would look like, including revamping our society's contract with the automobile, the Alderman and his developer pals are profiting mightily as they they implement their vision of our neighborhood, ignoring the concerns of the majority of the residents and homeowners in Rogers Park, who are very concerned with such issues as convenient parking, over-development, loss of green space, and economic displacement.
Wax philosphical all you want as the tear-down mania proceeds with ever-increasing momentum. Single family homes and two-flats with highly inefficient side, front, and rear yards are replaced with concrete block condo complexes built from sidewalk to alley, from corner to corner. Grass and trees are replaced with concrete. One family is replaced with eight. Lower- and middle-income residents are replaced with upper-income residents.
If all the real estate developers did was build, and if they were willing to work within the law, that would be one thing, but that's not all they do. Not content to work within the law, they bribe our legislators and change the law at will. Then they hide behind the law, claiming what they are doing is their right. Zoning changes for real estate developers take weeks, zoning changes for public parks take years. They view the law as a plastic thing that can be changed with an application of cash, not as a contract between neighbors.
Real estate developers who don't live here pick our aldermen for us and throw our elections. Residents understand our system of legalized bribery. Residents know the fix is in, they know they don't have that kind of money, and they conclude that trying to change things is futile. Real estate developers are the main impediment to community involvement and the democratic process in local politics in our wards.
Real estate developers are calling the shots in our wards. They purchase property tax caps and property tax rebate plans for themselves, and order up property tax increases on home owners. They manipulate welfare reform to get workers paid in food stamps to sweep and shovel their sidewalks and parking lots. Real estate developers are dictating property tax policy in our neighborhood.
The partnership of the alderman and the real estate developers, at least the one in our neighborhood, is not a good neighbor. Good neighbors don't bribe public officials, don't pave their property so their run-off goes into their neighbor's basement, and don't raise property taxes on their neighbors.
The real estate developers tearing our neighborhood down to build their concrete block projects are no friend to the residents and home owners in our neighborhood.
Ellen,
If your mom wants to know how much her home is worth, have her contact Mark Malave. He's a great neighborhood realtor that works on Morse and lives on Wayne. He sold my condo for more than Coldwell Banker tried to sell it for.
Post a Comment